LawrenceCConnolly.com

Ever notice how all the songs about Pittsburgh are about leaving it?

A musician friends back in the early 70s used that line to introduce the song “Six Days on the Road,” a seminal truck-driving tune made famous by Dave Dudly. It’s a terrific piece of country-rock, and I’ll be playing it this Saturday (May 19) at Riley’s Pour House – one of western Pennsylvania’s top venue’s for Irish and American music.

Of course, as good as that opening line is, I must admit that I can’t think of one other song about Pittsburgh that involves leaving it. But songs about leaving Ireland? Man, there’s a ton of those.

Let’s consider a few that I’ll be playing this Saturday. [Read more at 21st-Century Scop.]

Utah! Home of the Sundance Film Festival, the Bingham Canyon Mine, and – this year – the Bram Stoker Awards.

My interest in surface mines is obvious, given the setting for the Veins Cycle, but this year’s big draw in Utah is the World Horror Convention, where I’ll be doing a number of book and media events later this week.

[More at The 21st Century Scop.]

Nearly sixty years ago, a Japanese composer dragged a leather glove across the strings of a contrabass and created one of the most distinctive sounds in 20th century cinema — Godzilla’s Roar.

I was six when I first heard it, sitting on the floor of my Levittown living room, watching a staticy cathode-ray television. It was sometimes hard to see the picture on that set, but the audio generally came through OK, making for an experience that was more like listening to radio than watching TV. No matter. Godzilla, King of the Monsters was one of those movies that sounded better than it looked.

[Hit the play button below to hear that sound . . . and read more at 21st Century Scop.]